Early Life
Nicholas Nemeth was born on July 27, 1980, in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been a fan of professional wrestling since childhood and decided to become a wrestler when he was 12 years old. When Nemeth was in high school he competed in amateur wrestling. He found immense success in the sport and went on to compete for Kent State University.
After graduation, Nemeth embarked on his professional wrestling career. Nemeth’s younger brother, Ryan, also became a professional wrestler and signed with AEW.
OVW/FCW Tenures
In 2004, Nemeth signed with WWE and was assigned to train at OVW. He made his debut on November 4, 2004, under the ring name Nic Nemeth. His ring name was later adjusted to Nicky when he joined the Spirit Squad stable, a group of male cheerleaders.
The Spirit Squad had a brief run on the WWE main roster; on April 3, 2006, Kenny and Mikey became the World Tag Team Champions and all five men were recognized as champions.
In January 2007, Nicky returned to OVW and picked up his previous ring name, Nic Nemeth. He was later sent to FCW, where he became FCW Florida Tag Team Champion alongside Brad Allen.
Debut As Dolph Ziggler
On September 15, 2008, Nemeth made his Raw re-debut under the ring name “Dolph Ziggler.” He chose the first name Dolph because it was his great-grandfather’s name, and the surname Ziggler came at the suggestion of a friend.
In June 2010, Ziggler was placed in a romantic storyline with Vicki Guerrero, during which he became the Intercontinental Champion and United States Champion. After they parted ways, Ziggler formed a partnership with AJ Lee.
Ziggler’s third love affair was with Lana, the manager and real-life girlfriend of former WWE superstar Rusev. Ziggler and Lana’s storyline relationship was ended when Rusev and Lana announced their engagement on October 11, 2015.
Triple Crown Champion
Ziggler wowed audiences with his in-ring skill, athleticism, and charisma. He also became known for his ability to make his matches look believable.
Over the years, Ziggler collected a vast amount of accolades in WWE. His winning of the World Heavyweight Championship, Tag Team Championship, and Intercontinental Championship made Ziggler the 22nd Triple Crown Champion in WWE.
In addition, Ziggler won the 2012 Money in the Bank ladder match and also the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Championships with his later tag team partners, Robert Roode and Drew McIntyre.
NXT Championship And Departure
On February 8, 2023, Ziggler made a surprise appearance on NXT and attacked the current NXT Champion Bron Breakker. In a triple threat match on March 8 at NXT: Roadblock, Ziggler defeated Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa to become NXT Champion for the first time in his career. He lost the belt less than a month later on the April 4 episode of Raw, where he dropped the title back to Bron Breakker.
On September 21, 2023, Ziggler was released from WWE, thus bringing his 19-year tenure with the company to an abrupt end.
